30 October 2011

Thank you for taking the time to call your representatives in Congress to help pass the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA) and the Safe Schools Improvement Act (SSIA). Below are the scripts for calling your representatives. Since the bills have different numbers in each house of Congress, you will see that there is one script to use for you two Senators, and a second script to use for your Representative in the House.

Senate Script (You will call both Senators from your state.)

"Hello,

My name is __________________________ and I'm calling from _______City, State_______ to express my support for Senate Bill 555, the Student Non-Discrimination Act, and Senate Bill 506, the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Can you tell me where Senator _____________ stands on these bills?"

* If the Senator's staff tells you that the Senator is a co-sponsor of either or both bills: "Thank you and thank Senator _____________ for his/her support.

* If the Senator supports both bills but isn't a co-sponsor of one or either: "Thank you and thank Senator _____________ for his/her support. I also ask that Senator _____________ consider co-sponsoring these bills in order to build momentum and help them pass."

* If the Senator doesn't support the bills: "I'm disappointed to hear that. Having a safe school environment for every child should be a basic American right. Please ask Senator ____________ to reconsider supporting these bills. I will be watching his/her vote."

* If the office staff isn’t sure: “Having a safe school environment for every child should be a basic American right. Please ask Senator ____________ to support these bills, and to consider co-sponsoring both.”

House of Representatives Script(You only have one Representative to call.)

"Hello,

My name is __________________________ and I'm calling from_______City, State_______ to express my support for House Bill 998, the Student Non-Discrimination Act, and House Bill 1648, the Safe Schools Improvement Act.

Can you tell me where Representative _____________ stands on these bills?"

* If the Representative's staff tells you that the Representative is a co-sponsor of either or both bills: "Thank you and thank Representative _____________ for his/her support.

* If the Representative supports both bills but isn't a co-sponsor of one or either: "Thank you and thank Representative _____________ for his/her support. I also ask that Representative _____________ consider co-sponsoring these bills in order to build momentum and help them pass."

* If the Representative doesn't support the bills: "I'm disappointed to hear that. Having a safe school environment for every child should be a basic American right. Please ask Representative ____________ to reconsider supporting these bills. I will be watching his/her vote."

* If the office staff isn’t sure: “Having a safe school environment for every child should be a basic American right. Please ask Representative ____________ to support these bills, and to consider co-sponsoring both.”